“He came out without me asking him and he stood up and said this is a project that should be built for Scotland.”

The award was handed over on land at the Menie Estate where the New Yorker wants to build a second 18-hole course.

But he won’t make a start on that – or a luxury hotel – unless the Scottish Government back down on plans for an offshore windfarm which he claims will ruin wealthy golfers’ views.

He said: “I said we are not going to build this hotel if they are going to build this ridiculous windfarm.

“We are looking to build one of the best hotels in the world in Scotland.

“But who would build a hotel that is looking right into an industrial turbine?

“But I don’t think the windfarm will be built.

“It’s a totally ridiculous project – I think we are very close to that thing being abandoned.”

Trump said that if the 11-turbine European Offshore Windfarm Deployment Centre – a cornerstone of Scotland’s green energy plans – was scrapped, he would go straight to Aberdeenshire Council to apply for full planning permission for a hotel.

He said: “We will not build until such time as that ridiculous and ugly and costly, Chinese-made product is terminated.

“When it is terminated I am going to be in that office so quickly to get approval.”